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Book Reviews... Continued...
At the end of each sweater design, Righetti provides alternative
design options. She includes a detailed chapter
on sleeve design and another on neckline design, both
giving you directions and many different options for how
to incorporate these options into the existing 13 sweater
designs. There is a chapter on additional options, such as
color work, embroidery, striping (with advice on how to
maintain the striping from the body to the sleeves), and
more.
The third section, Appendices, is just that, containing:
• Metric to English Conversion Chart
• Abbreviations
• Finished sizes for pullovers and cardigans for
toddlers, children, men, and women (32 to 40 inch
chest or 81 to 102 cm)
• Personal measurements chart
• Project record form
• Glossary
In my opinion, the first part of the book is well suited
for all knitters who want to knit sweaters. Even if you do
not design your sweater, you will learn so much about
yarn selection, stitch pattern selection, color selection,
and how sweater designing needs to consider the shape
of the human body. For example, you learn why the back
neck needs to be higher than the front neck, why raglan
decreases can lead to extra fabric at the top of the chest
if not planned carefully, and other topics well worth the
read. The second section of the book, where you design
sweaters, gives great direction; however, I am not sure
the novice sweater knitter will be comfortable knitting
their first sweater from this method. I recommend being
comfortable with the basic concepts of knitting sweaters
before you use the second section of this book to design
a sweater.
This is a paperback book with black and white photos
and illustrations. The illustrations are quite helpful and
add to the understanding of the concepts. If you can find
a copy of this book, I recommend it to anyone who wants
to learn about sweater design and finally make that
sweater that fits well and looks great on you or the knitworthy
recipient.
The 13-sweater design concept provided in Sweater
Design in Plain English is similar to Elizabeth Zimmermann’s
sweater designs. Zimmermann does not provide a
pattern, she provides the measurements you need and
from your stitch gauge, you calculate the number the
stitches you need to cast on. She then provides written
instruction in paragraph form for knitting the sweater.
Zimmermann gives you design options, but not anywhere
near the options and the detailed guidance in completing
the calculations and knitting the sweater provided by
Righetti in Sweater Design in Plain English. Zimmermann
does not address body shapes and how to select patterns
to flatter a specific body shape and does not address
color theory in designing. Zimmermann promotes
knitting with wool, while Righetti offers you information
on using other fibers and how the type of fiber affects the
fabric and what other considerations are needed when
selecting fiber for a sweater. Zimmermann offers a lot to
knitters, particularly to those new to knitting, as does Righetti.
I believe there is a place for Zimmermann’s and Righetti’s
work in a knitter’s life and library.
All these many words later I recommend the books reviewed
in the following order:
1. Sweater Design in Plain English
(Righetti & Shaw, 2011)
2. Elizabeth Zimmermann's Knitting Workshop
(Expanded and Updated) (Zimmermann & Swanson,
2014)
3. The Sweater Workshop (Fee, 2002)
Currently, I am knitting a sweater using Anne Budd’s
The Knitter’s Handy Book of Top-Down Sweaters (Budd,
2012). I will submit an article reviewing Budd’s book, as
well as Melissa Leapman’s 6000+ Pullover Possibilities, Interchangeable
Options for Custom Knitted Sweaters
(Leapman, 2017) in a later issue.
I wish you Happy Knitting (completely without tears!)
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